BANGOR, Maine — The students from All Saints Catholic school in Bangor are bringing the holiday cheer to their neighbors, the senior citizens at the Phillips-Strickland House.
It's all part of Project North Pole, where each grade at the school gathers goodies to fill stockings for the residents.
This morning the students came to the house to wrap the items and stuff the stockings.
The school's chorus also sang Christmas carols to the residents.
It's a time of the year the students enjoy bringing some cheer to those in the senior living facility.
"I had to leave my home and come here but it's closet to my family to be here," Vivian Murray, a resident at the Phillips-Strickland House in Bangor said.
"And mainly because we want to keep everyone extra busy and keep their minds going and a lot of it is. If there are some tears that's ok its happy tears and sometimes memories that will bring back tears but that's ok. It's important for our residents to be able to talk and be able to open up about their emotions some times," Linda Nickerson, the Activity Director at the Phillips-Strickland House said.
Students stepping up and making a difference in the lives of their older neighbors at The Phillips Strickland House where 45 seniors live together.
Each grade from Pre-K to eighth back at All Saints gathered items for the stockings like:
- toothpaste
- Stuffed animals
- Soap
- necklaces
- foot powder
- shampoo/conditioner
- lip balm
- hand sanitizer
- deodorant
- lotion
- flashlights
"They can wake up and find something nice on their doorknobs on Christmas morning," student Aiden Ouellete said.
A way for the students to spread the holiday cheer to seniors at a time that may be a little lonely for some.
Acts of kindness between the students and the elders that throughout the years have developed into friendships.
"I think they are going to be very happy and have this warm feeling inside like they are a little kid again almost," Grace Bouchard, a student from All Saints Catholic School said.